"If She So Abide."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 209, 3 September 1900, Page 6

"If She So Abide."

By VIOLA TBYELL. (Author of "A Russian Romance," "Master and Man," etc.)

CHAPTER X,

A WORD OP ADVICE.

"Oh„ my cousin-shallow hearted."

Tennyson,

True to her wi/d, the Countess de Charente did her best to throw Louise and Eugene together. Dinners, lunches, little casual tea parties a l'Anglaise succeed one another in rapid succession. Eugene came obediently to anything and everything to which he was asked, and was particularly nice to Louise in an ablTe-it-minded sort of way. The comtesse began to have hopes that her pet scheme would after all be a complete success, and that the harassing life of debt and difficulty which, she had led for the past ten years would be at an

end. _~,, ~ It was at one of these little afternoon teas (where Louise sat and dispensed sweet, weak, tepid tea flavoured with boiled milk under the impression that this was the way that the mad English took "le Aye o'clock') that the' comtesse asked her nephew if it was true that Madame la Marquise de la Vaile had had the misfortune to lose her princely chateau by true, I believe," said the baron, setting down his tea cup. She has heaps of money to rebuild it, at anyrate, so it doesn't much matter," said Louise rather spitefully. She was perfectly aware that her cousin was credited with a great admiration for the Marquise de la Vaile. He said nothing and the comtesse proceeded: "I have always been sorry for that poor girl. HOW could, she ever bring herself to be a gobd wife-to that old scamp of a marquis I cant make out. I should have run away from him long ago." . ' "The Marquise de la Vaile is a very noble woman," said the Baron le Gendre in an unmoved tone. • "Yes, she is a fine character, _ admitted the comtesse. "I sometimes think she made a mistake in choosing Gaspare! Duchene as her second husband. Still, so far, I must say, he has been Wonderfully faithful to her. 1 suppose he lias flown to. he? ,ere thi-. '•He is still in.Paris- my dear,aunt,' said the baron, "for I saw him myself -this morning. He told me, that Madame de la Vaile was suffering from nervous prostration, and that she could not bear to see anyone. It appears that little Raolil was ' nearly burned to death. Everyone thought him in a place of safety and just at the last it was discovered that he was still in the house. Madame de la Vaile fought her way through, the flames to rescue him." ;■"■-. i "Mother love is so great and deep, and capable of so many sacrifices," said the fair haired little comteessa who had never made a saorif---, for anybody in the Avhole of her life. "Was she injured at all?" asked Louise in uninterested tones. "-Monsieur Duchene did not say, Louise," said the baron le Gendre With a reticent air. "I wonder if she had been whether he would have stuck to her?" said the comtesse, musing idly on a p-O.bability Which hud she only known it-was an absolute fact. "I should imagine if he loved her. he would do so, my dear aunt," answered Eugene le Gendre,* in his cool, level tones. *. ':•• "iou dear; Quixotic boy. Now, if you were engaged to a WOtaah who became hopelessly and hideously disfigured do you mean to say you would be strong minded enough to marry her?" cried the Comtesse de Charente in her most viva_lo_3 Voice. "If 1 had had real af_eetidfi for such a woman before such an accident I should probably love her tenfold, .as much afterwards," said the baron. "You are more like a person in a book than anyone I ever heard dr,. 1 cried Louise, casting A Coquettish glance nt him out of eyes that . had slain . many a less rich admirer. "I never heard Of such loyalty, You ought to have been born half a dozen centuries ago, Eugene, and been dressed in a, suit of armour instead of a frock coat. "A frock coat doesn't- alter n_y nature, Louise. Do you think I should be a. different mail if I Vyor^.a coat of mail?" "Oh, I don't know, I'm sure," said Louise, "only it seems to tne more suitable ■ for such a frame of mmd.. Very few people are capable.of such devotion as that," ' "1 am sorry to hear it, Louise. It seems to. me {hat when one really loves one loves for always." "0 that is .very pretty in novels, of course," answered Louise, lightly, "but I maintain that if I suddenly lost ■my nose or something' of' that sOrb-it would be too much to ask a lover to. marry me." "It is rather a strong illustration. I admit," said Eugene, smiling a little, in spite of himself; "but you can.have, an artificial nose nowadays, Louise." "Why will you two talk about such horrid' stupid things f" said the comtesse, rather pettishly, aware that Louise was not showing to advantage in the conversation, ahd furiously angry with her _0r Mt waht of tact; •'you are not in the least likely ( to lose your nose, Louise. I can't think What possesses you to talk so foOlishly." 'The Comtesse de Charente was Seldom irritable. When she lost hei- temper it was always a warning to Louise that she had been saying s_ tnething that was likely to jar on Eugene. She changed her tone accordingly. "I can't help teasing Eugene sometimes, mother," she said. "He is so . delightfully in earnest. _But, I assure you? Eugene, I only wish more men were like you. We poor women Would lend better lives then." "There is really no reason for you to admire me so much, my dear cousin," said the baron, rising and standing before the fireplace, massed wth gay flowers. "I assure you there lire lots of men like me ih the world, so you had better begirt to lead your 'better •life' at once."

"Louise is always joking,1" interpas* erl his aunt, hastily, determined to give the fair damsel in question a good talking to afterward for life* bungling. "No one in the Wol'ld eS-.terns-.loyalty of character &* much as -he doe's. Indeed, her insistence 6tt it as an essential quality in & man's clr.racter has lost her many .. lover ibef. re now." •

"Louise is quite right," said her cousin, shortly.

"Of course she is, poor, dear child! But I confess thai I find the quality ■as rare as that extinct bird, the ibis, except when one comes across a ma/n like you, Eugene, who is loyalty itself."

"Suppose you leave me and my ibislike qualities out of the conversation for a few minutes, Aunt Antoinette," said the baron, balancing himself on one foot and looking unmitiigatingly bored. "You are so modest, Eugene!" sighed the well meaning matchmaker. "You take that from your mother, poor dear Cons tan tine! Even when she was a schoolgirl she could not bear that any should call her pretty or witty of wise.' And yet I am sure she was all three."

."Are you coming to my birthday dance to-morrow night, Eugene?" asked Lotiise, with a change of subject. "Do you want .me to come, Louise?" "What, a question! Of course I do. The whole thing will be a complete failure if you' do not come." "I should not like the whole thing to be a complete failure," said the baron, "so I will come. Do you want some fkrvvers, Louise?" "It will be awfully sweet of you to send me some, Eugene." "What are ,you going to wear?" he asked. "White> white, white, of course," relumed Louise. "When did vox. ever see me at a dance in anyih'lig* else?" "I thought I had seen you in every colour of the rainbow," said her cousin. "Not at a dance, Eugeci-2." "Well, at other festivities you patronise, Louise. The thousand and one functions whicli so_ic x 7 imagines are necessary to its'happiness. I am sure I don't remember having seen you wear.the same dr..s twice." "Does that mean that you think I have a thousand and one dresses, my dear cousin?" said Louise, with a smile. "I never presume to penetrate into the mysteries of a fair lady's wardrobe," returned Eugene. "Well, I assure you I am not so extravagant as you think, Eugene! I am sure I make my dresses last twice as long as most of the women I know. Don't I, ma-mma?" "Three times, I should say," murmured the comtesse, rather absently. "You are a. Wonderful manager, Louise." ' She rose as she spoke and went out of the room, leaving . the two together. This was one of her strategic movements in the battle. "Propinquity does work such wonders sometimes," she-said to herself. "I must be going soon, myself,,' said Eugene, looking at his watch. "Has : your mother gone out driving, Louise?1' ". expect she has gone to write a couple of notes," said Louise, indifferently. She, will be back soon, no doubt.* What are you in such a hurry for?" "I am not in a hurry. But I have "an appointment to keep at six, and it is afte_ five now." "Will it take you an hour to get there?" "Not quite, perhaps," said Eugene, returning his watch to his pocket. "I can give you another twenty minutes of ray precious Society if . you like, Louise." "I wish you Would. You don't know how I value it," She answered, pen* sively. "It is very good of yon to say so. But we are too old playfellows to be so complimentary to each other," said the Baron, rather coldly. "It is not a compliment. It is 'the truth. I love to get you by myself and hate one of our nice, serious little chats together. You always do me so much good. And beside I particularly want your advice this afternoon."

"My&dvice is always at your service," said the Baron, resignedly, wondering secretly if tlie advice in question would take longer than twenty minutes to give, and so make him late for his appointment, "but I doubt very much whether you will take it." "You'know me so little, Eugene! 1 don't remember your ever giving me a piece of advice that I did hot take," said Louise, with' a pretty deference, putting her tiny little feet on the fender, preparatory to telling her little story. . The Baron resigned himself to being late for his appointment.

(To be Continued.)